Is aspartame bad for you? Ask the FDA, or Grandma?

With all the extensive research conducted since 1974, people are still asking “Is aspartame bad for you?” No says the “FDA,” so… does that mean we can drink diet soda by the truck load? Or, we should only drink a little or none at all?

The Food and Drug Admistration in it’s infinite wisdom has yet to consider this one small fact: All and the kids that grew up on Diet Coke since 1974 have yet to see what prolonged use of aspartame will cause.
This scenerio reminds me of the age argument that claims People are living longer now because of modern medicine than ever before. YES, that is certainly true, but the people that are NOW living longer grew up on apples with worms, organically grown food without chemicals, didn’t have to breath toxic cleaning products as kids, and they certainly didn’t have any aspartame.

An article published today by E, The Environmental Magazine, reader Mitchell James asked this question to the editor about diet soda (which as fact contains aspartame):

“Dear EarthTalk: I drink diet soda but I’m told it’s bad for me and linked to health problems. Is this true and if so can you suggest any healthier alternatives?

(He should have asked his grandma in my opinion- but here’s the editors answer:)

“While rumors have circulated for years that diet sodas are unhealthy, researchers have found no direct link between such drinks and specific human health problems.

Over half of Americans consume aspartame regularly in soda and other foods—all told, diet varieties accounted for some 29 percent of the soft drink market for the top 10 sodas in 2010, according to Beverage Digest—so it is certainly reasonable to be concerned about any potential health effects. However, initial reports that implicated aspartame in seizures, headaches, depression, anxiety, memory loss, birth defects, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus, methanol toxicity and even cancer turned out to be false (even a hoax), according to a wide range of reputable, peer-reviewed studies and clinical and epidemiological research.”

While aspartame and diet sodas have not been linked directly to specific health problems, researchers who surveyed the eating, drinking, smoking and exercise habits of some 2,500 New Yorkers between 2003 and 2010 did find that those who drank at least one diet soda per day had a 61 percent higher risk of so-called vascular events (e.g. heart attack or stroke) than those who avoided Diet Coke and other products with aspartame.

“If our results are confirmed with future studies, then it would suggest that diet soda may not be the optimal substitute for sugar-sweetened beverages for protection against vascular outcomes,” reported the study’s lead author, Hannah Gardener of the University of Miami School of Medicine.”read whole article

So is aspartame bad for you?

Understand that Pepsi, Coke and other cola manufacturers have made billions off the so called diet soft drinks and are not about to take aspartame off the market. But what should be curious to note is the confusion in just this one article’s research, be it very good and accurate. It’s clear there’s no definitive proof either here nor anywhere else as to whether or not aspartame is bad for you…. for now!
So with this said, why in the world would you take any chances? And if you’re a mom, should you allow diet or any soda for your kids? Well if you pour coke on the hood of your car it will melt away the paint but you’ll give this to your children? Health wise, Americans do not drink enough water and are “dehydrated.” Cola, soft drinks and juices are no substitute. Aspartame bad for you… believe the FDA or Grandma? 25 years later will prove one or the other the wiser.